If every policy decision must pass the 'fairness test', will Australia end up making unfair decisions?

The growing inequality that triggered the Occupy protests, such as this one in Bennington, Vermont, is now registering as an issue with politicians at the highest level.
Wikimedia Commons/Daniel CaseMarch 10 2015

One of President Barack Obama’s main goals this year, as laid out in both his 2015 budget and State of the Union address, is to provide relief to the middle class. The divergent responses to two of his…

News that the West End musical Made in Dagenham will close in April is disappointing on two fronts. Ignore for a moment what it says about the viability of new theatre productions in the capital, and consider…

When we think about income and wealth inequalities we are tempted to lay blame on the old way of doing things. In Capital in the Twenty-First Century, Thomas Piketty picks out inherited money as a driver…

Editor’s note: “The state of the union is good,” and the attitude of President Barack Obama in his annual speech to Congress was upbeat. Good economic news and no more election campaigns were the backdrop…

Shifting the tax burden to wage earners in the middle is a costly and outdated approach to tax reform.
Dave Hunt/AAPJanuary 19 2015

Many developed economies have experienced a significant increase in inequality in recent decades. Survey data for Australia show that the share of the top 10% of the income distribution, and more markedly…

Zed Seselja led government members of the Senate inquiry in dissenting from its findings on the impacts of inequality in Australia.
AAP/Alan PorrittJanuary 13 2015

Bridging our growing divide: Inequality in Australia is an important report tabled without fanfare in the Senate by its Community Affairs References Committee. The report is clearly argued and well-buttressed…

Protestors have been rallying for a “living wage” across the country in recent years, including at this one last month in Washington.
ReutersDecember 11 2014

A noxious combination of falling wages, income inequality at its highest since the 1920s and a growing low-wage sector has caused the ranks of the working poor to swell to more than 47 million. That’s…

Activists dressed as musicians and wearing masks depicting leaders of the members of the G7 protest against wealth inequality in Brussels in June.
ReutersDecember 8 2014

Wealth and income inequality have many causes, and it’s pretty much beyond dispute that any well-functioning capitalist society will have some degree of disparity between the richest and the poorest. It’s…

First world problems? The affordability of the iPhone 6 differs significantly depending on where you live.
Dan Peled/AAPNovember 12 2014

With every new product release from Apple comes all the usual media hype we have come to expect from this high-profile sector. While product launches are often discussed in terms of technological advances…

Is the right to pursue happiness equally available to all Americans?
Josh Hallett October 23 2014

Foundation essay: This article is part of a series marking the launch of The Conversation in the US. Our foundation essays are longer than our usual comment and analysis articles and take a wider look…

The difference between CEO and average workers' pay is much greater than most people imagine, but Australians' idea of the ideal ratio is higher than elsewhere.
Shutterstock/albundOctober 13 2014

A recently published study produced some revealing findings on beliefs about inequality in a range of countries around the world. The study, by Chulalongkorn University’s Sorapop Kiatpongsan and Harvard…

The financial struggles of a large number of African footballers earning wages at poverty levels in their home countries is an issue easily lost amid the high salaries and glamorous lifestyles of most…

The evidence is mounting about how regressive the UK tax system has become under the coalition government. Our work for the Sheffield Political Economy Research Institute (SPERI) highlighted how those…

Few academics can aspire to transcend university boundaries, reach deep into a mainstream audience and find Westminster’s doors opening, inviting conversation with politicians. Thomas Piketty is now one…

The role grammar schools should play in English education is still hotly contested, more so today than it has been in years. This is despite the fact that there are only 164 grammar schools operating in…

When FIFA awarded the 2014 World Cup finals to Brazil seven years ago, it looked as if the tournament would be a coming out party for the country. Now, the picture is far more mixed. It has become fashionable…

The economic and political focus is increasingly on the inequality of income and wealth as they both rise in Europe and the US. At a conference on Inclusive Capitalism held near the end of May at London’s…